Dun Laoghaire

TOURISM: Boost for town with new office ahead of The Gathering Page 6

Bumper year as DLR scoops Tidy awardsCabinteely named as overall winner of competition

� BAIRBRE NI BHRAONAIN

TOWNS and villages across the Dun Laoghaire area were celebrating last week when the winners of the 2012 Tidy District Competition were announced.

Cabinteely was named as the overall winner of the com-

petition, with Dalkey winning Best Large Town, Blackrock named as Most Improved Town, and Shankill coming second to Cabinteely in the Best Small Town category.

The awards also saw three other towns, housing estates and residents’ associations all recognised in a bumper win-

ning year for the region.The county tally also saw

18 awards given to housing estates and residents’ groups.

An Cathaoirleach, Council-lor Tom Joyce (FG) said: “We are very proud of all the estates and Tidy Towns groups who entered the competition.”

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A cool idea: Pair of fundraisers hit Arctic CircleGLENAGEARY man Paddy Mullen, and Cavan man Kieran Elliott, felt right at home in Alaska recently, deep within “the Arctic Circle”, with the overcast skies and chilly weather reminding them of sum-mer in Ireland.

The self-funded pair are biking 35,000 km across treacherous terrain, with the goal of fundrais-ing €10,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation, and Cavan’s Holy Family School. This Friday, the final leg of their epic journey will see the intrepid pair arrive at Fitz-patrick’s Hotel, Killiney, at 7pm.

FREE GAZETTEGAZETTELaoghaire

DUN LAOGHAIRE • BLACKROCK • CORNELSCOURT • DEANSGRANGE • DALKEY • GLASTHULE • MONKSTOWN • GLENAGEARY

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2 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 20 September 2012

Council urged to reduce high rates

BUSINESS: FIRMS ARE ADVISED TO HAVE THEIR SAY ON BUDGET 2013


A LOCAL councillor, Dun Loaghaire-Rath-down Chamber and Dun Laoghaire Business Association are all calling for Dun Laoghaire-Rath-down County Council to reduce commercial rates in their upcoming budget for 2013.

At present, the county manager, Owen Keegan, and the director of finance, Helena Cunningham, are in the process of drafting the council budgets for 2013, and Councillor Vic-tor Boyhan (Ind) sees this as a ripe opportunity for businesses to have their say.

“In the context of the current debate about local government income and finance, I have heard little comment about the need to reduce the overall cost to businesses and the need to lift the heavy bur-den of commercial rates off the backs of local fam-ily businesses and shops operating in our commu-nity.

“I think it will be impor-tant that the issue is high-lighted by each and eve-ryone of us at this stage in order that the council executive understands fully the concerns about the viability of local busi-nesses surviving another year under the crippling burden of funding local government.”

According to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Chamber, the council needs to reduce commer-cial rates by 10% in the coming year.

“The chamber fully acknowledges that since 2003, when the county had the third highest rates in Ireland, the County Council has had the low-est percentage increase in rates,” said Hal Ledford, chief executive of Dun

Laoghaire-Rathdown Chamber.

“Nevertheless, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown still has the highest rates of any of the local authorities in Dublin, and county rates are still well above the Irish aver-age. We need to send out a message that this coun-ty welcomes business and wants to provide an envi-ronment where business can be competitive.”

D a n M c M a n u s , chief executive of Dun Laoghaire Business Asso-ciation said: “Rates con-tinue to be a great con-cern to business in Dun Laoghaire. They make up 30% of the rental charge and there has been no reduction, although a 10% reduction was mooted but not followed through. This shows the lack of understanding of what businesses go through on a daily basis. The rates officers try to help with negotiating payments, but it’s not enough and it’s not sus-tainable long term.

“Business needs incen-tives such as a morato-rium on rates for the first eighteen months or so to get small businesses started. We have loads of properties for rent and the first question any-one asks is ‘What are the rates?’

“Everything else has come down, but rates haven’t budged, actually they’ve increased, and it’s a massive worry.”

A council spokesper-son said: “The motion on this issue was not reached on the Council Agenda and in light of that we cannot com-ment until the members get the opportunity to discuss the report that was issued. The motion has been deferred to the next council meeting.”

SPORT Old Wesley RFC kickstarts women’s rugby

Club venture is worth a tryC

OME one, come all, Old Wesley RFC is giving the fairer gender the chance to prove their worth on the rugby field this autumn. The club launched wom-

en’s rugby this season, introducing Old Wesley U16s, U18s and senior women’s teams at its open evening. The Heineken Cup was also brought to the club that evening. The club has put in place a strong manage-ment team, with Avril Poff taking on the role of director of women’s rugby, Andrew Adams as coach and Elma Beirne as manager. A spokesperson said: “It is our goal

to cater for both experienced players and those who are new to the game...emphasis will be very much on getting fit, having fun and learning and developing the skills necessary.”

Training will take place every Monday night in Don-nybrook at 7pm, with a second night on Wednesdays planned. The U16 and U18 girls teams will initially be based up in their Ballycorus grounds, where training will take place every Sunday at 11am. For more details, visit www.oldwesley.ie.

Rachel Sheerin, Lyn Nolan, Leah Loughlin, Elma Beirne, Jennie Bagnall, Avril Poff and Tina Smyth with the Heineken Cup which

visited Wesley Club on the open evening. Pictures: Geraldine Wood

The girls enthusiastically learning new skills

Tina Smyth keeping the ball in playKeeping focused during the game

Bernard Dunne with Gary Murphy and

Peter Smith

20 September 2012 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 3

AWARDS A shower of successes for DLR district

Team Cabinteely win praise for Small Town win� BAIRBRE NI BHRAONAIN

TOWNS across Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown were celebrating last week when results from the 20th Tidy Districts C o m p e t i t i o n 2 01 2 revealed that four towns and 12 estates in the region had won awards, with Cabinteely being declared the overall winner.

The announcement of the local successes was made at the Tidy Districts Awards ceremony which took place on September 13, which was attended by over 100 members of 42 local groups across the county.

This year, the judg-ing panel said that the Cabinteely group had

shown great teamwork for the upkeep and main-tenance of the village and surrounding area by working closely with the county council, local schools, businesses and fellow residents associa-tions.

Hard-working

Speaking after the event, Kate Hynes, envi-ronmental awareness officer with DLRCC said: “The Tidy Districts Com-petition gives the Coun-cil the opportunity to reward the hard-working residents associations and Tidy Towns groups in the county. These groups take an active interest in and responsibility for their own local envi-ronments. Building this

type of partnership with the council increases the sustainability of the progress achieved and results in long-term envi-ronmental improvement in the estates, towns or villages.”

In the towns category, Dalkey Tidy Towns won Best Large Town, Black-rock Tidy Towns came second in the same cat-egory, while Cabinteely took first place in Best Small Town, and Shankill took second place.

Eighteen residential category prizes were also awarded to groups throughout the county, including Kill Abbey Residents Association, Blackrock, who won Best Housing Estate / Apart-ment complex (5-100

Cabinteely Tidy Towns members Mary Moore with An Cathaoirleach, Councillor Tom

Joyce (FG), Deirdre Smith and Imelda Galvin

houses) .Dundrum’s Parkvale Ballyolaf came second in the same cat-egory. Meadowbrook Residents Association in Dundrum won first place in the Best Hous-ing Estate / Apartment complex (101-200 hous-es) and Wood Residents Association in Stillorgan came second.

Blackrock Tidy Towns won Most Improved

George’s Street facelift THE laneways of George’s Street in Dun Laoghaire are to get a facelift, and local people can have a say in the proposals up until November.

The draft plans on dis-play give a breakdown of the works set to take place which involve resurfacing, public light-ing, landscaping and traf-fic management.

The laneways involved in the upgrade are locat-ed between Northumber-land Avenue, Musgrave Street, Patrick Street and Convent Road.

The plans will remain on public display until October 26. Anyone wish-ing to make a submission to the proposals can do so in writing to DLRCC before November 9.

There will be two public information evenings on October 10-11 in County Hall in Dun Laoghaire from 4pm until 8pm.

PROPOSAL

Town/Vil lage , and Marie Baker, chair of the Blackrock Tidy Towns committee, said: “When our name was called out for the second prize for Best Large Town Award, I think the whole room knew we were delight-ed, but to get the most Improved Town award

was the icing on the cake.”

Speaking a t the awards ceremony, An Cathaoirleach Cllr Tom Joyce (FG) paid tribute to the winners. “We are very proud of all the estates and Tidy Towns groups who entered this year’s competition.”

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By Scott, he’s a winner: Local man scoops a Person of the Year awardFOXROCK man Dr Tony Scott was honoured with a prestigious award at Citywest Hotel recently, where he was presented with an award in the 2012 Rehab People of the Year awards.

The 38th annual Rehab awards saw Ryan Tubridy present Dr Scott with his award, joining in the judges’ praise for his outstand-ing contribution to the field of science in Ireland, with his enduring legacy perhaps best summed up by his co-founding of the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.

In 1963, Dr Scott and the late Rev Tom Burke had the idea of set-ting up a science project competition for secondary school students, modelled on the concept of the US science fairs. Today known as the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, and approach-ing its 50th anniversary, it is the longest-running event of its kind in Europe, and the second longest-running worldwide – an enduring legacy to the work of Dr Scott and Rev Burke.


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TENANTS of The Lau-rels apartment complex in Dundrum, who moved out of their homes in early July while building safety issues were being remedied, have been told by the receiver that the original period of three months would be extend-ed indefinitely.

On July 6, tenants received a letter telling them to evacuate their homes within 10 days while work was done to bring the building up to proper regulatory stand-ards.

However, on Satur-day, September 8, Lau-rels residents living in alternative temporary accommodation were notified at a meeting with Kieran Wallace, receiver for Tuskar Asset Manage-ment, that the safety work was more extensive than first thought in July.

He said: “Unfortunate-

ly, the cost budget has far exceeded the original estimates provided in July, due to the extent of work that needs to be carried out to make the building fully compliant with rel-evant regulations.”

The receiver told ten-ants that he would cover the cost of their extended stay in temporary lodg-ings until they can return home. However, he went on to say that there was a possibility that the costs would be so prohibitive as to prevent the remedial action being undertaken at all.

“As a result [of the budget excesses] it will not now be possible to complete the works in the timetable previously envisaged.

“Therefore, the prop-erty will not be safe for tenants to move back into in October. I appre-ciate the inconvenience and frustration that this may cause to you,” said Wallce.

HOUSING: ‘INDEFINITE’ SAFETY WORKS DELAY

The Laurels’ tenants are left waiting

Red squirrel relocation project cost €40k� BAIRBRE NI BHRAONAIN

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THE Red Squirre l Project, which saw the re-introduction and release of 15 red squirrels onto Killiney Hill last month, has cost Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Coun-cil (DLRCC) €40,000.

A spokesperson for DLRCC said: “The costs involved were very rea-sonable for a transloca-tion project of this scale,

and covered materials, a detailed assessment of the donor population, grey squirrel control, the trapping and transloca-tions of red squirrels, as well as 24-hour monitor-ing of squirrels during the acclimatisation phase and intensive post-release monitoring.”

Jimmy Deenihan, the Minister for Arts, Herit-age and the Gaeltacht, released the squirrels, which came from Wex-

ford, onto Killiney Hill Park on September 4.

The plan is to boost the existing population of red squirrels in the hope that they will successfully breed and thrive on Kil-liney Hill.

Of the project, Mary Toomey, DLRCC’s bio-diversity officer, said: “It is hoped that the release of these 15 red squirrels will boost the local squir-rel population and allow it to thrive, and that we

will see evidence of them breeding in Killiney Hill Park in spring.”

The conservation project to supplement the existing red squirrel population in the area was undertaken as the indigenous red squirrel number had dropped to critically low levels.

DLRCC undertook the project in partnership with the National Parks and Wildlife Services. The council has been

working with University College Dublin research-ers, William Carr and Favel Naulty, who have carried out detailed stud-ies on both the Killiney and Wexford squirrel populations, and pro-vided technical advice and expertise during the animals’ translocation.

Councillor Victor Boy-han (Ind) said: “It’s worth the money, and I hope the conservation project is a success.”


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THE upgrade due to take place on Glenalbyn Swimming Pool in Stil-lorgan will cost €5 mil-lion instead of the €1.7 million allocated for the work by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Coun-cil, it was announced in the latest engineer’s report last week.

The new adjusted fig-ure leaves a shortfall of €3.3 million to be found in order for the work to go ahead.

Although the refur-bishment will cost more than twice as much as the provision allowed for it, Councillor Rich-ard Humphreys (Lab) said he backed the need for the swimming pool’s upgrade.

He said: “Given the stark choice between upgrading the pool or facing its closure in the relatively near future, I believe that the planned €5 million works are worthy of support.

“This pool is a fantas-tic facility for the people of the Stillorgan ward, and I will fully support its inclusion in the 2013 Capital Budget of the

county council,” said Cllr Humphreys.

The works will involve a comprehensive upgrade of the pool and associ-ated facilities, including a new roof, a new water treatment system, a new plant room and new changing facilities.

Cllr Humphreys said the Stillorgan area was due for some funding, as Dun Laoghaire had received the lion’s share of recent council invest-ment.

He said: “A large number of major capital projects have recently been approved for the Dun Laoghaire side of the county, so it is impor-tant that the Rathdown side – and particularly the Stillorgan Ward – would also benefit from development and invest-ment.”

County manager Owen Keegan has entered into discussions with Kilma-cud Crokes’ GAA club, Glenalbyn Sports Club and Glenalbyn Estates with a view to resolving any access and parking issues in order to better facilitate the proposed construction work on the pool and its ancillary facilities.

UPGRADE: ‘€1.7M WORKS’ ARE NOW COSTED AT €5M

Swimming pool bill is more than doubled



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STILLORGAN Shop-ping Centre is set to usher in a bright new era for the centre next week when it will be rebranded as Stillorgan Village and, to herald the new beginning, a celebration event is tak-ing place.

The revamped Stil-lorgan Village will host a family-friendly day to mark the occasion, with free kids’ kart rides, car-ousels, bouncy castles, face painting and balloon modelling among the events on offer.

The Big Day Out, which takes place on Septem-ber 22, will also feature

world street performance champions, who will be performing from 10am to 4.30pm.

Also in the mix will be 98FM’s Daragh O’Dea, who will be informing all attending about special offers available to shop-pers, as well as giving out spot prizes throughout the day.

The event is a celebra-tion of the recent upgrade of Stillorgan Village and also acts as a christening party for the popular local shopping centre.

The 46-year-old shop-ping centre was renamed Stillorgan Village to “reflect its friendly neigh-bourhood atmosphere at the heart of the commu-

nity”, said Ray Coary, its central manager.

He added: “More than €3m worth of refurbish-ment works has been completed in shops throughout the centre.

“The refurbishment has modernised Stillor-gan Village whilst main-taining its family-friendly environment, enhancing the shopping experience for the community.”

The centre is enjoying near full capacity despite the economic downturn, and almost all of the units have been taken up. In the past 12 months, nine new brands have been added to Stillorgan Village, including Benetton, Ecco and Starbucks, which is

due to open in October and will create 15 jobs.

Coary said: “We are now virtually fully occu-pied in the shopping cen-tre, with only one 1,000 sq ft unit available, and we are actually looking to create additional space to meet demand.

“All the fundamentals

which have attracted the loyal customer base to Stillorgan over the years are still in place, but the new retail stores mean that footfall in the centre has increased by 6%.”

Niall Kavanagh, direc-tor of property at Treasury Holdings, which manage the centre, said: “With

the retail sector suffer-ing more than most, it’s encouraging to see this kind of positive response to the various initiatives we have been promoting.

“Stillorgan’s fresh new look, we believe, will help the centre go from strength to strength in the short-term.”

Help pick the best bookshopTHE search for Ireland’s favourite bookshop is on, with all South Dublin booklovers urged to cast their votes before Sunday, October 14.

The search for the Bord Gais Energy Bookshop of the Year, which was first introduced last year, highlights the importance of bookshops. This year, more than 70 Dublin bookshops from Dublin are competing.

Local bookstores in the running include Easons, and Hughes & Hughes at Dundrum Town Centre; the Bookstation, at Nut-grove Shopping Centre; The Wise Owl, in Ball-inteer, and the Rathfarn-ham Bookshop. To cast your vote, visit www.bor-dgaisenergybookclub.ie.

CONTESTRETAIL Family-friendly day to mark rechristening

Stillorgan set to celebrate ‘Village’ title

Stillorgan Shopping Centre will be rebranded as Stillorgan Village from next week


Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council are preparing tender documents for the new tourist office

New tourist office in time for Gathering ’13A NEW tourist office is set to open in Dun Laoghaire next spring as part of a new co-op-erative drive between Failte Ireland and local councils, community groups and businesses, in time for the Gath-ering 2013, the global diaspora event which is expected to draw some 325,000 extra visitors to the country throughout the year.

Local TD Mary Mitch-ell O’Connor welcomed the news of the new tourist office and said it will be great for local people and visitors to the area.

“The move is part of an

initiative which has seen Fáilte Ireland working with local groups across the country to provide tourist information ser-vices. Already, 30% of the existing Tourist Informa-tion Offices nationwide have been taken over by local groups, with the help of Fáilte Ireland.”

Depu ty Mi t che l l O’Connor paid tribute to the efforts made by volunteers to keep local amenities open in the face of funding cuts.

“The provision of the new office will be a great boost to the local community in Dun Laoghaire, particularly after the Trojan efforts to

keep the Joyce Martello Tower open this summer. The challenges facing the tower were met with an incredible response by local volunteers who rallied together to ensure the museum could remain open.

“The altruistic spirit displayed by these volun-teers is something Dun Laoghaire can really be proud of, and I have no doubt that this same spirit will play a role in the successful opera-tion of the new tourist office. There is a deep sense of local pride in Dun Laoghaire and a strong recognition that it’s not only a great place

to live, but a great place to visit.”

Dep tuy Mi t che l l O’Connor went on to say that Dun Laoghaire is the ideal tourist spot and has many attractions which can be advertised to advantage in the new tourist information office.

“The provision of a tourist office will help to provide visitors with useful information about the area, and it will add to the overall offering of the town. As well as a beautiful setting, great restaurants and cafes and historical attractions like the Joyce Tower, Dun Laoghaire will now be

able to provide visitors with advice and infor-mation on how to spend their time locally.

“Dun Laoghaire Rath-down County Council is currently preparing tender documents for the new facility, and it’s hoped the tourist office can be opened by spring 2013.”

In a statement, a council spokesperson said that the council is currently discuss-ing County Hall as one possible location for the new tourist office in Dun Laoghaire, but that there are other options for its location also under con-sideration.

Jobs boost after pool development15 JOBS are to be created at the new Loughlinstown swimming pool due to open in November of this year.

The new jobs on offer will be full and part-time qualified swimming teachers, lifeguards and leisure instructors. Tom Mowlds, chief executive of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Leisure Services, (DLRLS), said that as services are rolled out and demand is established, further jobs will emerge.

In addition to the 15 new lei-

sure industry jobs, DLRLS has said that it expects a large num-ber of ancillary employment to be created as the pool’s con-struction is being finished.

The €6.8m investment in the new community facility has been funded by Dun Laoghaire Rath-down County Council and the Department of Transport, Tour-ism and Sport.

“We are working with local groups, the existing leisure cen-tre users, and schools in the area to devise teaching, fitness, and

fun swimming sessions for the community,” said Mowlds.

Loughlinstown has been without a swimming facility for 20 years, so the new 26m six-lane pool is a welcome addition to the area. It will be managed by DLRLS, which currently employs 170 staff across all of its centres. These include the Glenalbyn, Meadowbrook and Monkstown community pools, golf courses and all-weather pitches.

The Loughlinstown Leisure

Centre has also led the way in the area of cardiac care and is the only leisure facility in Lein-ster whose staff are trained in cardiac rehabilitation. Staff can even make GP referrals to mem-bers.

In 2010, the centre received the ILAM WhiteFlag Award in recognition of the exception-ally high standards of quality in health and leisure facilities

For details of all job opportu-nities with DLRLS, refer to their website at www.dlrls.ie.

TOURISM Local TD welcomes Failte Ireland initiative

ENTERPRISENEWS

Learn how your business can make the most of Digital Video and LinkedIn.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Enterprise Board is hosting a full day seminar (9.30am–5.30pm) on Wednesday, 26th September in the Royal Marine Hotel, Dún Laoghaire. In the morn-ing session, you’ll get expert advice on how to use Digital Video as a form of promotional content for your website and social media presence. In the afternoon session, you’ll find out how to maximize the networking and lead generation capabilities of LinkedIn. Q&A sessions will follow both topics.

If you are a small business owner/manager with plans to build a business-winning digital marketing strategy on a limited budget, this seminar can help you. Led by experienced internet strategy profes-sionals, this full day session will provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to get proven online sales and marketing channels working for your business. You’ll also get the opportunity to network with other small businesses throughout the day.

Announcing the seminar speakers, Michael Johnson, the CEO of the Dún Laoghaire Rath-down County Enterprise Board, said: “There are plenty of examples of entrepreneurs in our county winning business by adopting smart online strate-gies. This seminar will give people an excellent opportunity to pick the brains of experts and to give their business a competitive edge in the pro-cess.”

For further information and to book your place, please visit www.dlrceb.ie or contact the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Enterprise Board on (01) 494 8400.

Digital Video & LinkedIn for Small Business Seminar - September 26th 2012, Royal Marine Hotel


Organic chocolate to savourWITH its outstanding packaging and care-fully sourced ingredi-ents, a Dun Laoghaire company picked up one of the top prizes at the recent National Organic Awards.

Wilkies Dark Choco-late was awarded the Best Organic Confectionery and Baked Good prize at an awards ceremony held last week in Bord Bia.

Wilkies Chocolate was one of over 100 entries to compete in the competi-tion and the awards were given in eight different categories.

According to Tara McCarthy, director of Bord Bia’s food and beverage division, Wilk-ies Chocolate was the deserving winner in its category.

“The judges described Wilkies Dark Chocolate as great tasting, neither too dry nor bitter and evidently made with pas-sion.”

FOOD AWARD

Roundabout is cited as unsafe� BAIRBRE NI BHRAONAIN

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A €300,000 cycle-friend-ly roundabout at Killiney Towers has been criti-cised by two local coun-cillors as unsafe and a cause of accidents in the area.

Fine Gael councillors John Bailey and Patricia Stewart both objected to the finalised plans of the roundabout’s improve-ments at the end of Octo-ber 2011, which were car-ried out in February of this year.

Cllr Stewart said he was opposed to the improvements on a number of grounds: “As councillors, we were not consulted [on the plans], it cost an enormous amount of money and especially because it is a pilot project which might be rolled out elsewhere.”

The roundabout was developed in accordance with the National Cycling Manual of the National Transport Authority.

Cllr Stewart explained that, on the roundabout, drivers have to yield to bicycles at all times.

“If a bicycle comes onto the roundabout, the car driver must stop and give it right of way. There is a segregated cycle lane and a main driving sec-tion. I don’t know why [the changes were] need-ed as, in the report on the previous roundabout, there were no accidents involving cyclists listed. Nowadays, I’m hearing of more and more acci-dents.”

Cllr Stewart outlined that her greatest fear was for the public’s safety.

“This style of rounda-bout doesn’t exist any-where else, so there is an

uncertain element to it. It has slowed traffic down, which is good, but it has introduced an anxiety on approaching it, as cyclists must be yielded to, and the exit off it is so tight.

“As well as that, there are all kinds of stripes and signs around it, which is very distract-ing. I think the council has complexified (sic) the whole thing needlessly, in my view. For so much money, I think we should have been consulted, at least.”

Both Cllrs Stewart and Bailey have said they intend to submit an engineers’ safety report at the next area commit-tee transport meeting on October 1. The report was carried out by Clifton Scannell Emerson Asso-ciates in August after it was requested in council by Cllr Stewart.

Divers activities: Beach clean-up part of international studyTHE COASTCARE Group and Sandycove Tidy Towns Committee took part in An Taisce’s big clean-up of Sandycove Beach last weekend, as part of the Ocean Conservancy’s 27th International Coastal Clean-up operation, much to the delight of divers Seamus Heffernan and Rob Whitfield, accompanied here by Margaret Brown from the Sandycove Tidy Towns committee.

Data collected from all clean-ups that took place internation-ally will be used by the Ocean Conservancy in their work to guide marine policy and in protecting the ocean and its wildlife for future generations.

TRANSPORT: PILOT ROAD SCHEME CRITICISED BY LOCAL POLITICIANS


Warm reception for a cool explorer ...D

ISTINGUISHED guests from across the political, historical and societal spheres attended

the official opening of the Shackleton Endurance Exhibition at the newly-renovated ferry terminal building in Dun Laoghaire recently.

The enduring legacy of Shackleton,

and his fellow sailor-explorers, loomed large over the gathering, which saw Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore joining the British Ambassador, His Excellency Dominick Chilcott; the Canadian Ambassador, His Excellency Loyola Hearn; Alexandra Shackleton, grand-daughter of Sir Ernest Shackleton,

and other members of the Shackleton family.

Featuring photographs by Frank Hurley of the Endurance Expedi-tion, video footage, and many other artefacts, the superb exhibition com-memorates, and celebrates, the spirit of adventure and knowledge in style.

Holly Micklen was delighted as author Michael Smith autographed a copy of his book on explorer Tom Crean for her. Pictures: Geraldine Woods

Roger Kirker, National Maritime Museum; Peadar Ward, president, the Maritime

Institute, and Gerry Dunne, chief executive, Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company

Kerryman, seaman and Antartic explorer Tom Crean

Kay GleesonJoe O’Farrell Peter Whyte

SHACKLETON Exhibition celebrates crew’s legacy

Daphne Shackleton

Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore paid particular praise to the

superb photos at the exhibition (sample, right)

10 DUN LOAGHAIRE GAZETTE 20 September 2012

He’s Rudd-y to serve delicious new pizzasG

UESTS from across the city tucked into a delicious night out in the city centre recently,

as chef Adam Rudd’s new studio in Drury Street hosted a Domino’s Pizza launch.

With Adam overseeing the flavour-ful fun, a range of pizzas, sides and

desserts were enjoyed by all, with wine from Wine Friendly proving a perfect complement to the fare.

Television personality Leanne Moore joined “Gossip Girl” Siob-han O’Connor to have a go at pizza making, but their game attempts were surpassed by the new Domino’s range.

The new gourmet range has been designed to provide a “lighter” pizza with distinctive flavour, with tempt-ing ingredients in the range including roast chicken breast, baby spinach, Greek feta cheese, Peruvian roquito peppers and more, providing some-thing for everyone to tuck into.

Siobhan O’Connor and Leanne Moore

Chef Andrew Rudd gets some help from the Wine Friendly crew at the evening’s launch

Tracey and Michelle Dolan

Sinead O’Connor and Rebecca O’Neill

Charlotte and John McLoughlinJennifer Maguire Allanna Hennessy

LAUNCH Domino’s roll out a new range of gourmet food

Lynsey Murtagh and Gill Verrecchia

THEATRE Ballymun stages festival for eighth year

The world premieres of four Samuel Beckett plays which have been translated

into Irish will take place in the Axis Theatre in Ballymun this October

Axis premieres Beckett in Irish� BAIRBRE NI BHRAONAIN

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THE world premieres of four Samuel Beckett plays which have been translated into Irish by Gabriel Rosenstock will take place in the Axis Theatre in Ballymun this October.

As part of the Borradh Buan Irish Language Festival, which runs from October 15 to 27, the Mouth on Fire Thea-tre Company will stage Blogh, which is the Irish translation of Beckett’s Rough for Theatre 1 and Rocabai, the Irish ver-sion of Rokaby.

The newly translated works will be performed by an ensemble under the title Ag Taibhreamh ar … nGra (Dreaming of … Love). There will

also be a performance of a selection of Beckett’s poems which have been translated.

Mother, father and son acting team Geral-dine Plunkett, Peadar Lamb and Marcus Lamb will share the stage with actors Melissa Nolan and Jennifer Laverty. The Beckett poems will be read by Gabriel Rosen-stock and Nick Devlin.

Festival

These productions, which have received backing from Dublin City Council and Foras na Gaeilge, are part of Borradh Buan 2012, which is Ireland’s only festival of its kind and is in its eighth year.

Announcing details of the production, Cathal Quinn, artistic director

of Mouth on Fire, said the theatre company was extremely honoured to be staging new interpre-tations of Beckett’s work and has even received touring requests from Britain, Japan and Can-ada.

“The Beckett estate is known for the scrupulous care it takes to safeguard the integrity of Beckett’s writing – and rightly so,” said Quinn. “So we were thrilled to be granted the rights to translate some of his short plays into Irish, and to stage these in Irish for the very first time.”

The world premiere of Blogh and Rocabai are on Friday, October 26, in the Axis in Ballymun, tickets cost from €8 to €12, and are available by calling 01 883 2100.

BRIDE&GROOMPAGES 19-27

�

Top Wedding

Tips: Our

complete guide

for planning

your perfect

day

20 September 2012 GAZETTE 11

12 GAZETTE 20 September 2012

Westlife singer Nicky Byrne with fifth class students from St Peter and Paul’s National Boys’ School, Baldoyle, to launch the 2012 Cheerios

Childline Breakfast Together Week3

Byrne helps to raise funds for Childline

WESTLIFE singer Nicky Byrne dropped in to see the fifth class students from St Peter and Paul’s National Boys’ School, Baldoyle, to launch the 2012 Cheerios Child-line Breakfast Together Week.

Byrne, a former pupil of the school, was there in his capacity as an ambassador for the ISPCC.

The children’s charity are asking as many peo-ple as possible – schools, creches, companies,

coffee shops, friends and families – to come together, hold a break-fast event and raise much-needed funds for Childline.

Childline is entirely funded by the Irish pub-lic, so their support is vital.

Funds raised will help Childline volunteers to answer more calls from vulnerable children and

young people in Ireland who have nowhere else to turn.

The Cheerios Child-line Breakfast Together Week will take place from October 8 to 14. To register, log on to www.childlinebreakfast.ie, or call 1850 50 40 50.

Meeting Packie BonnerSTAFF from the Beacon

DIARY

SNAPSHOT The local stories of the day

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Hospital in Sandyford, and former Irish goal-keeping legend Packie Bonner are heading to the National Ploughing Championships on Sep-tember 26 to play an out-door exhibition match in the Health and Wellness section of the trade show, from 12 noon to 2pm.

People who come to visit the UPMC Beacon stand will get the chance to meet the sporting hero afterwards.

Chartered physiothera-pists will be on hand at the stand over the three days of the ploughing championships, advising on injury prevention and management.

Free analysis

They will also offer simple fitness tests for the more than 189,000 expected visitors to the three-day exhibition, and will offer free gait analysis for visitors.

A hotel stay worth €500 will also be won by one lucky visitor to the Bea-con stand.

The Ploughing Cham-pionships will take place between Tuesday and Thursday, September 25 to 27 in New Ross, Co Wexford.


Road dogs: A charity cruise across the USARADIO PRESENTER Baz Ashwamy, actor George McMa-hon, former boxing champion Bernard Dunne, singer Ryan Sheridan, will hit the open road on Harley Dav-idson motorcycles as part of the Delta Horizon Tour across the US in aid of Irish Dogs for the Disabled in September/October 2013.

Irish Dogs for the Disabled train assistance dogs to assist physically disabled children and adults. These dogs carry out a range of practical tasks in order to allow disabled people greater independence.

Every dog is trained to help with simple everyday tasks such as opening and closing doors, picking up dropped items, emptying the washing machine, send-ing for help or even helping a child with severe walk-

ing difficulties to walk with greater ease and balance.Each dog is trained to cater for the needs of the

specific client to enable them to live life with greater independence. This all costs money, of course, and in order to raise funds for this very worthy charity, the charity is undertaking the motorcyle trip of a lifetime from Chicago to New Orleans next year.

Irish Guide Dogs for the Disabled is now offering volunteers the chance to literally sample history on a two week, 3,000km guided motorcycle tour that will go from Chicago, Illinois, to the magical streets of New Orleans.

For further info check out www.deltahorizontour.com

Jobs Expo returns to Croke Park

EVENT: CHANCE TO MEET POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS

� HIROMI MOONEY

JOBS Expo 2012 will return to Croke Park next Friday and Saturday, Sep-tember 28 and 29, follow-ing its successful event held earlier this year.

The employment and recruitment fair promises to offer plenty of infor-mation and opportuni-ties both at home and abroad.

The free event will offer advice and career opportunities from vari-ous companies. One such company is the Brit-ish Columbia Construc-tion Association, whose members are looking to fill positions in the Canadian province for carpenters, welders, iron workers, plumbers, pipe layers, mechanics, crane operators and sheet metal workers.

The Jobs Expo event coordinator, Vicky Kelly, said that following the success of the last expo event, which had around 9,000 attendees, they are expecting to exceed that figure this time.

“I think it’s very impor-tant [to host an expo like this] because it’s an ideal opportunity for employ-

ers to showcase the posi-tions that they have, and also for the public so that they feel more involved in the recruitment process as well.

“They can actually come along and present themselves in person rather than being a piece of paper with a CV being emailed in to an organisa-tion,” she said.

“It’s a great chance to actually come and speak to employers directly and to apply face-to-face for a role that you may be suit-able for.”

The exhibition will be divided into five different areas, which are Irish Job Opportunities, Working Abroad, Education Vil-lage, Career Clinic and Starting Your Own Busi-ness.

The event is run by Learning Ireland, the publisher of leading web-sites Nightcourses.com, Gotocollege.ie, Postgrad.ie, Corporatetraining.ie and Learning.ie.

The expo will take place from 11am to 5pm both days in The Hogan Suite in Croke Park.

For more information, visit http://www.jobsex-po.ie/.

THE Waltons Music for Schools Competi-tion is looking for the country’s most musical school.

The competition will award a total of €10,000 worth of vouchers for

musical instruments, accessor ies , books , music technology or PA equipment from Wal-tons Music.

Awards will be divided among six winning pri-mary and post-primary

schools, including two first prizes of €3,000 vouchers, and music groups from 12 finalist schools will have the fantastic opportunity to perform in the National Concert Hall.

Entry forms are avail-able to download from www.waltons.ie, www.newschool.ie, www.rte.ie/lyricfm and www.nch.ie, and you can email your entry form, along with all addi-

tional information and materials, to [email protected]

Entries must arrive by 5 pm on Friday, Febru-ary 1, 2013. Late entries will not be accepted.

Search for the country’s most musical schoolCOMPETITION €10,000 worth of vouchers to be won


‘Be subversive, be posh – ditch beige’� LAURA WEBB

FORGET about living in a beige box – instead, be playful with colours and designs throughout the house.

That’s just a little of the advice that inte-rior designer, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, best-known for his appear-ances on TV’s Changing Rooms, brought to town on a recent visit to launch his exclusive collection for online department store, Littlewoods Ireland.

The Gazette caught up with the designer at a hotel suite that had been transformed into a shrine to his new collection.

Sitting on a couch he had designed himself, Laurence looked ever the suave gentleman, and was only too delighted to talk about his new collection.

“It’s the first time ever, that I feel I have created an entire, almost couture attitude collection – some-thing that encompasses furniture as well as bed linen, soft furniture, bed-ding, lighting and things – it has been tremendously liberating,” he said.

“I have been design-ing for years and years. I launched wallpaper 14 years ago – a really long time – but when you design an element like a roll of wallpaper or china or table-linen, or what-ever, you have got to use that one small thing to tell a big story.

“But, when you are cre-ating an entire collection, you can be so much more emphatic, so much more punky and subversive – you don’t need to be so bloody tasteful!

“The look I wanted to

sell, because it is my look, is all about indulgence, voluptuousness and eve-ry-day luxury and theatri-cality, opera – but it also has to be funny.

“There has to be some-thing about it that is witty and grown-up, and so much interior design isn’t. So much is so appallingly straight, and unbelievably serious! Sod that – we are fabulously diverse.

“I want to make peo-ple’s lives sexier, more playful, more indulgent – to me, those are the things that make you feel as if you are worth it,” said Laurence.

Asked about the use of colour on walls, Laurence believes the bolder, the better.

“If we all woke up in a beige box, we would all be very dull people! We want to make these

places, places that we can escape to.

“It is all about being able to be ourselves and not conform to this rigid, pre-prescribed sense of what is ‘good taste’ and what is ‘bad taste’.”

According to Laurence, his collection offers luxu-ry furnishings at afford-able prices.

“People look at it and say, ‘That’s posh’. But ‘posh’ doesn’t mean any-thing, posh doesn’t mean class, it doesn’t mean money, it doesn’t mean status – it is just posh – and that is what I want it to be.

“Posh for as little money is absolutely per-fect, because it is totally subversive,” he said.

The Laurence Llewe-lyn-Bowen collection is available now on www.littlewoodsireland.ie.

STYLE Advice from Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

Interior design guru, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, pictured in Dublin launching his exclusive online collection of

furniture and furnishings for Littlewoods Ireland

EPA’s initiative tohelp firms go greenTHE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a one-stop shop for businesses in Dublin to help them save money while preventing waste, con-serving water and reducing their energy costs.

The EPA developed the resources for businesses facing increasing energy costs and waste and water charges which are looking to reduce their overheads by adopting greener ways of doing business. BeGreen provides access to a range of business programmes including Green-

Business and GreenHospitality. GreenBusiness is a free business advi-

sory service that represents an innova-tive approach to waste prevention and resource efficiency in Ireland. BeGreen’s expert environmental advisors will visit organisations and generate a tailored environmental efficiency action plan free of charge.

GreenHospitality has been a hugely successful BeGreen programme for the hospitality industry. For more informa-tion, visit BeGreen www.begreen.ie

BUSINESS: CUTTING COSTS


Start-up business will win €25,000THE Learning and Inno-vation Centre (LINC) last week launched its annual entrepreneurial competition, which offers the winner an impressive prize worth €25,000 for a start-up business.

This is the third year of the LINC’s Jump-Start competition at the Insti-tute of Technology Blan-chardstown (ITB)

The competition is open to entrepreneurs who would like to base their business in an inno-vative and supportive environment.

The value of the award is €25,000, and includes €5,000 in cash for the winning company, plus the cost of the incubation space for 12 months, with varied mentoring support available to the company from industry experts, and a range of useful busi-ness start-up packages, including design, media,

technology equipment, print, call-answering and much more.

Last week saw the offi-cial launch of the compe-tition, which took place at the Dylan Hotel.

One of Ireland’s best-known entrepreneurs, and Dragon’s Den star, Bobby Kerr, was on hand to officially launch the competition.

DelightedHe said: “I am delight-

ed to be involved with the Jump-Start competition again.

“I see the competition as a great way for entre-preneurs to present to their peers and have the opportunity of winning an amazing prize that any start-up would love to receive, especially in the current climate.”

Shortlisted entrants will get a unique oppor-tunity to present their

ideas to a very experi-enced panel, including Kerr; Judith Troy, AIB regional manager; Oisin Geoghegan, chief execu-tive of Fingal County Enterprise Board, and George Kiely, regional director of Enterprise Ireland.

The judging panel will be chaired by Assumpta Harvey, manager of the LINC at ITB.

Application forms can be downloaded from www.thelinc.ie/jump-start, with the closing date for applications set for 4pm on Friday, Octo-ber 19, with the short-list to be announced on November 2.

All applicants must submit a fully completed application form.

The winner of the award will be announced on the evening of the final judging, on Novem-ber 15.

ENTERPRISE: CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR ANNUAL ENTREPRENEURIAL CONTEST Camera

club set to exhibit� NATALIE BURKE

BALDOYLE Library will play host to the “Expres-sive Black and White” exhibition later this month – a photography event featuring the best work of Sutton Camera Club.

The photography exhi-bition will be held from Monday, September 24 until Friday, Septem-ber 28, with the official launch taking place on Tuesday, September 25 at 6.30pm.

With members of the photography club hailing from Baldoyle, Swords, Howth, Clongriff in, Portmarnock and Don-aghmede, the free exhibi-tion features work from a number of different com-munities.

Sutton Camera Club currently meet every sec-ond Tuesday night in the Baldoyle Forum Centre. For further information, see www.suttoncamera-club.com.

LIBRARY

Gimme Moore: Street’s traders help to celebrate orchestra’s concertsSWAPPING her fruit and veg for cymbals, Moore Street trader Marie Cullen showed Sinead Farrell what a dab hand she is when it comes to making music. The pair were having some fun on the famous street, as mem-

bers from the RTE National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) were visiting the street to help publicise the upcoming NSO 2012-2013 season, which is now under way at the National Concert Hall.


GazetteENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENT

� SHANE DILLON

IT’S been a while since I was last at the cinema, so I don’t have any particu-lar expectations of what most films for kids should be like, today.

I mean – and this is probably showing my age here – the last time I went to see a kid’s film, I think a young Jodie Foster was running around in it, looking for some place called Witch Mountain

(circa 1873)?There was definitely

an intermission in the middle of the film when the red curtains closed, I remember that much. 3D? It was all barely 2D, back then, mate!

All of this makes me sound less like a grown-up, and more like a dino-saur. Could an old fogey like me truly get to grips with something that’s, y’know, for kids?

Well, ParaNorman

(deservedly a Cert PG; 92 mins; starring, oh, John Goodman is just about the biggest name there) is a stop-motion animated film about Norman; an average kid in his sleepy home town.

Average, that is, except for the fact that he sees dead people everywhere, and wearily blathers away with amiable ghosts that only he can see, includ-ing Uncle Prenderghast (Goodman).

Personally, I’d be using my invisible buddies to ace every test in school, but, alas, Norman’s a nicer kid than me – err, so to speak – as he doesn’t treat his deadly pals with any disrespect.

Norman’s pretty nor-mal, otherwise, given his slightly annoying family; the fact that he’s getting bullied a bit at school, and the fact that his town keeps celebrating a witch that it, um, dealt with, 300 years earlier.

Now, you don’t sup-pose that a 300-year-dead witch and a boy who chats away to spirits from

Spot the odd one out ... Yes, that’s right – it’s Norman, who alone can see dead people

everywhere. A handy gift, it turns out, given a town curse that’s about to unfold ...

Boys and ghouls may like this film

the afterlife could possi-bly cross paths, thus ful-filling an ancient curse set upon the town, do you? (Or, in my best ghost-ese: dooooo youuuuu?)

It’s not long before dead ol’ witchipoo is back – back, and deader than ever – ready to make up for 300 years of other people partying and cel-ebrating her unfortunate

end, with a load of creepy minions and zombies.

(From this point onwards, the film ramps up its intensity a bit, as it gallops headlessly over heels towards that PG rating, making it worth pointing out that you bet-ter be sure your little boys and ghouls can handle the film’s grave humour.)

It’s down to Norman, his misfit friends, some clueless grown-ups and, of course, his spectral sidekicks – some of whom are dead willing to help – to save the day.

Not that it’s going to be that easy, of course ...

Actually, the film was fairly entertaining enough, with nothing too awful, so long as you’re clear that your little dar-

lings are going to see a PG film with ghosts, zom-bies and stuff.

(I had to grow up with endless cartoons starring sickly goodie-goodie, Casper The Friendly Ghost, so today’s kids have better luck than me with their entertainment choices.)

While stop-motion is something of a dying art, it’s beautifully done, here, crafting a lovely film to look at that, sure, is very much like a Tim Burton story in some parts, yet also has some heart and brains (or, in my zombie-ese, braiiiinnnnnssss).

So, for something a lit-tle spooky, and ahead of Halloween’s overkill, I’d say it’s worth an “okay” three stars out of five ...


GazetteTTRAVELRAVEL Edited by

Natalie Burke

A delightful tribute to Beckett in Enniskillen� BAIRBRE NI BHRAONAIN

TRAVELLING to Fer-managh, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the very first Happy Days International Beckett Fes-tival, celebrating the work and legacy of Irish writer and playwright, Samuel Beckett, but I was excited at the prospect of seeing some of my favourite old Beckett plays performed in stimulating new ways – and I was certainly not disappointed.

Enniskillen was the location of the inaugural festival. Upon arriving at the gorgeous Manor House Hotel in Killadeas, I was struck by the period residence’s faultless resto-ration to its original glory on grounds overlooking Lough Erne, dating back to the 17th century.

Dinner was delicious, and the portions gener-ous, with wild salmon and fresh pasta served by a staff of very attentive wait-ers. During dinner, our party were introduced to the Happy Days festival, where its founder, Sean Doran, told us how it all began.

The seed for the idea was planted in his head to hold the festival in Enni-skillen before he was even aware of the connection between the influential writer and the town.

He said: “I didn’t know he went to Portora [Royal School] here, but I want-ed the festival to be here. When I found out, it was happy days!”

Unlike other purely literary festivals, Sean wanted Happy Days to be more eclectic, and full of the spirit of Beckett’s influence, rather than just a few days of seeing his plays performed.

With that in mind, he decided to mix in ele-ments which resonated with Beckett’s legacy.

Sean introduced sport-ing events, music and comedy into the pro-gramme; debates and talks by contemporary Irish and international writers, as well as Beckett pieces performed by small theatre companies and renowned actors.

HomageThe great melting pot of

acts and performers at the five-day festival was a col-lective homage to Beck-ett’s work and influence in all artistic forms.

The whole town of Enniskillen got into the spirit of the festival, with barber shops offering Beckett haircuts and deli-catessens selling ham and clove sandwiches.

However, the undisput-ed highlight of the whole festival was Robert Wil-son’s premiere of, Krapp’s Last Tape.

On entering the lovely Ardhowen Theatre, I knew I was in for some-thing mighty, judging by the calibre of punter around me.

From the moment the curtain came up, Ameri-can avant-garde theatre-maker Robert Wilson,

white-faced and utterly unique, mesmerised the audience.

His portrayal intro-duced effective and sym-bolic elements, bringing the play to life with a strange bolt of electricity.

The first thing Wil-son did was to sit, as the sound effect of teeming rain flooded the theatre. He sat for so long, he pushed the boundaries of audience expectation to the outer limits.

Then, he ate two bananas in a very stylised and ritualistic way, whilst looking at the audience with a world of conflicting

emotions on his face.The whole perform-

ance was a joy to witness, and I felt blessed to have been there.

Everything Wilson does is his own, and heavy with meaning and symbolism; he is a born artist of the highest rate, and I know I’ll never see anything like him again.

Not only was he a consummate performer on stage, but he used his primitive nature to great effect too.

Now and then, as he lis-tened to the tapes, a great primal noise would ema-nate from his distended

clown-like mouth as he reacted in horror.

Yet, the sound echoed that of the stop button on the tape recorder. This marriage of the sublime and the ridiculous was astonishingly original.

People left the show wearing blank, dazed expressions, and it was patently clear that Wilson had done the real job of a theatre maker – he had put us all through some-thing amazing.

For further informa-tion on the Manor House Hotel, Killadeas, Enni-skillen, see www.manor-housecountryhotel.com.

Celebrating 20 years

of Disneyland ParisTHIS year, for its 20th anniversary, there is more magic in the air than ever at Disneyland Paris, which has been transformed through an amazing explosion of lights and colours.

Abbey Travel is offering family stopover pack-ages for two adults and two children, starting from €479 per family, based on selected dates from November to March.

The package includes accommodation and breakfast in a Disney Hotel, tickets for both Dis-ney Parks for each day, free Fastpass to reduce queuing times at the most popular attractions, and extra Magic Hours – access to Disneyland Park up to two hours before its regular opening time.

For full details of the offer, and related terms and conditions, or to make a booking, tele-phone Abbey Travel at 01 804 7160, or see www.abbeytravel.ie.

TravelBriefs

The parties will be even bigger than usual this

year at the world-famous resort

Part of the striking front of the truly beautiful Manor House Hotel in Killadeas

Enniskillen gets into the spirit of the

festival, with many home-made signs

Writer Samuel Beckett would have approved of the

Muckball Cup, commissioned in his honour

Irish poet Paul Muldoon, heavily

influenced by Beckett, also appeared at

the festival

GazetteBUSINESSBUSINESS

ROBERT Prestage has more than 25 years’ experience in the plumbing and construc-tion industry, running his own company in South Africa’s Cape Town before moving to Dublin 12 years ago.

Initially coming for a holiday, professional curiosity got the bet-ter of him and, before the holiday was finished, he found himself working for a couple in Shankill, Co Dublin and, through referrals, he has never looked back.

Establishing Prestage Plumb-ers and Renovators soon after-wards, the business has gone from strength to strength; culmi-nating in his latest business ven-ture, the Bathroom Boutique.

The showroom, based in Churchtown, specialises in retail and offers full installation service and maintenance service by its sister company, Prestage Plumb-ers and Renovators.

The showroom is influenced by styles and concepts from Europe’s leading brands, offering a wide range of products from contemporary to traditional and everything in between.

Customers can find a wide range of baths, wet-room show-ers, shower enclosures, washba-sins, toilets, furniture and a large selection of tiles.

Robert says that Bathroom Boutique’s ethos is based on

Interview: Robert Prestage, owner, the Bathroom Boutique, Churchtown

Q&A

Bathroom designs to make a splash

Robert Prestage, owner, Bathroom Boutique, Churchtown, with some of the outlet’s wares

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be?A: A farmer

Q: What was your first job?A: Worked in a hardware store

in Cape Town

Q: And your first pay cheque?A: 250 rands per month –

about €25

Q: Have you ever done a job you loathed?A: Yes – a part-time mechanic

Q: When did you start your present job?A: 1981; I’ve been a plumber

ever since

Q: What is the best thing about your job?A: Customer satisfaction

Q: Have you ever achieved any-

thing that you once thought you could not pull off?A: No

Q: What part of your working day do you delegate?A: All day

Q: What’s currently on your desk that shouldn’t be?A: Mail

Q: What sport do you follow?A: Rugby and horseracing

Q: What sport can you play?A: Golf and archery

Q: What habits would you like to lose?A: Smoking

Q: At the moment, what are you looking forward to?A: moving house

Q: What is your guilty music/

TV or movie pleasure?A: Farming and fishing pro-

grammes

Q: Who best represents modern Ireland – Michael D or Jedward?A: Jedward

Q: What music/pictures/movies do you have on your iPod/iPad?A: Netflix app

Q: Who do you follow on Twit-ter/Facebook?A: Family

Q: Describe your dream meal?A: Steak, chips and mushroom

sauce, and apple pie

Q: Who would you rather have dinner with – Enda Kenny or Dame Edna?A: Neither

Q: Where do you enjoy spend-ing money frivolously?A: Donedeal.ie

Q: How many pairs of shoes do you own?A: Four

Q: What was your worst holi-day experience?A: Barbados

Q: Describe your dream holiday?A: It would have to be sitting

in the sun in a quiet place

drinking a glass of rose

Q: What would be your dream job?A: A farmer

Q: What do you plan to do when you retire?A: Maybe I will become a

farmer then

Supported by AIB

MY FINANCEE’S DEBTS ...

Q – MY FIANCEE and I are getting married in six months, but she is paying credit card debt and bank loans through MABS [the Money Advice and Budgeting Service].

So, when we get married, can they take my wages into account, and make me liable for her debts, too? Gerry – Clondalkin

A - SHE must be a wonderful girl to marry her with

all this debt. I suppose the phrase: “For richer, or

poorer” comes to mind!

By going to MABS, it means that perhaps some of

her debts require professional management and

strategy.

This time of your life is certainly a time when all

the cards should very definitely be on the table – no

secrets, especially financial ones.

You would want to ensure there are no other

skeletons in her cupboard.

The first thing I would do is for both of you to set

out a monthly income and expenditure budget – you

HAVE to know how much is coming in and, impor-

tantly, how much is going out.

You will also need to tell each other EXACTLY what

liabilities and assets you have.

You may decide to escalate the debt repayment

prior to marriage, so it doesn’t act like a millstone

around your necks.

As regards your liability for her debts after

marriage, the answer is no – her debts remain her

debts, even if she cannot afford to repay them.

However, if her credit history is affected (judg-

ments stay on your credit history for life), then that

will affect your application for joint loans, such as a

mortgage.

Even if she has a sound job with a healthy income,

she will be precluded from being approved because

of her past record.

Guard your good name, but talk openly NOW

about it.

Anti-money laundering rules stipulate: “Know

your customer”, but in your case, it is more like:

“Know your wife”!

But may I wish you many happy years together.

All the best.

� Contact John with your money questions at [email protected] or visit his website at www.moneydoctor.ie. John Lowe, Fellow of the Institute of Bankers, is founder and managing director of Money Doctor


delivering superior quality and outstanding service, and prod-ucts are sourced through Irish companies – mindful of his belief in keeping business local.

He adds that Tony and Tracey, the showroom staff, have more

than 30 years’ experience between them in the bathroom retail industry, with experience working with all the world’s lead-ing brands and designer ranges.

They look forward to meeting and advising customers through

the various stages of designing, choosing and installation of their dream bathroom.

For testimonials of finished projects, see www.thebathroom-boutique.ie, and www.prestagep-lumbers.ie.

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D u b l i n ’ s c o m p l e t e g u i d e t o yo u r w e d d i n g

WELCOME to the Gazette’s Bride and Groom supplement, your complete guide to creating the perfect wedding day.

Inside this month’s fantastic supplement, we focus on one of the most important factors in your big day — venue, venue, venue!

With a focus on elegance and quality, we feature some of the best wedding venues in the province and beyond, while we also take the time with the help of a wedding planner to go through a checklist of all the vital things to think about when making the all-important decision about where your wedding will happen.

We also highlight another crucial venue — where you are going to have your honeymoon, and look at what is on offer in Malta at the fabu-lous Fortina resort.

As well as all of these great features, we are giving readers the chance to pick up a pair of tickets for the upcoming Wedding Journal Show which takes place on September 29 and 30 at the Citywest Complex. So make sure and enter, and if you don’t win, head along regardless — there’s a fabulous €25,000 wedding to be won at the event for everyone who attends.

So read on for some fantastic advice and tips on how to throw the ultimate wedding bash.

SEPTEMBER 2012&Bride Bride groom


l B E AUT Y I N BA L LSBR IDGE l

THE bride-to-be isn’t the only one to change their name when it comes to wedding days.

The Clyde Court Hotel in Ballsbridge, one of the most popular and romantic weddings venues in Dublin – and which features several elegant suites to choose from, with a selection of bespoke menus – recently changed its name from the Berkeley Court Hotel.

Its unique marriage of luxury and leg-end lends itself to big days.

The Grosvenor Suite is a regal ball-room with high ceilings, ornate mirrors, chandeliers and its own private bar, and is the perfect choice for larger wed-dings.

For more intimate celebrations, the Herbert Suite, or Clyde Room, both offer stylish surroundings and bespoke pack-ages to suit every taste and budget.

Clyde Court Hotel’s wedding pack-ages start at just €55 per person, and they host civil ceremonies and wedding

Elegant charm at the Clyde Court

&BRIDE GROOMD u b l i n ’ s c o m p l e t e g u i d e t o y o u r w e d d i n g

Sister hotels with first-class choice: Navan’s

Newgrange and Ardboyne excel with weddingsSISTER properties in Navan, the Newgrange and Ardboyne Hotels are offering prospec-tive brides and grooms a very different but equally royal wedding experience in the heart of Meath.

Both hotels have equally high standards and reputation, with the lively Newgrange Hotel inspired by the rich, ancient history of the area, while the Ardboyne Hotel providing a relaxed and luxurious setting for weddings.

Both hotels’ long years of experience in

organising and staging weddings of all sizes means they have the ability to assist every happy couple interested in holding their spe-cial day at the venues, and using their array of suites to provide an appropriate and tailor-able experience for all budgets and sizes.

For further information, contact the Newgrange Hotel at 046 907 4100 or see its website at www. newgrangehotel.ie; contact the Ardboyne Hotel at 046 902 3119, or see its website at www.ardboynehotel.com.

blessings, too.For further information, contact

personal wedding coordinator Leanne Regan at 01 238 2700, email [email protected], or find them online at www.clydecourthotel.com.

The beautiful Grovesnor Suite ballroom


l H I STOR I C S I GHTS FROM A CONTEMPOR ARY S ET T I NG l

EVERY woman dreams of a fairytale wedding day, in a luxurious and stylish venue.

There is an element of magic to all weddings, but having an historic castle on your doorstep is a great addition to the wonder of the day.

Trim Castle Hotel, which recently won the 2012 Best Wedding Venue in Leinster Wed-dings Online award, are set to open the doors to couples from around the province and beyond at their Wedding Fair, which will take place on Sunday, October 7.

The fair will showcase the hotel as a wedding venue and all it has to offer to prospective brides and grooms.

The hotel offers sea-sonal and mid-week

wedding packages, which include complimentary consultancy and plan-ning with their wedding coordinators, a red carpet and champagne recep-tion for the bridal party on arrival, and a compli-mentary stay for the bride and groom in one of their deluxe rooms, among other offerings.

Trim Castle Hotel is offering an all-inclusive wedding guest package on dates in 2013 and 2014 for only €55 per person.

The hotel itself over-looks Trim Castle and the adjoining rolling lawns of St Patrick’s Church, and also boasts a rooftop ter-race from which guests can admire the impres-sive castle.

At Trim Castle Hotel, the team aspire to make your wedding day the

Get royal treatment at Trim Castle Hotel

Trim Castle Hotel’s rooftop terrace affords beautiful views of Trim Castle and lawns

most memorable and enjoyable day of your life. To achieve this, their wedding team assures personal and professional attention in the planning and preparation of each couple’s special celebra-tion.

A spokesperson for the hotel said: “Modern

couples simply do not go for just any venue. Trim Castle Hotel is the perfect choice for their reception, as it possesses the old-world charisma of the historical Anglo- Norman castle, and the contemporary standards of magnificent food and stunning decor.

“Looking onto the cas-tle, lit in romantic colour against the evening sky, is a breathtaking scene. This place has it all, and, if you host your wedding there, know that your guests will be talking about it for a long time to come,” said the spokesperson.

For further informa-

tion, you are very wel-come to attend the Wed-ding Fair on October 7.

Alternatively, contact the hotel’s wedding co-

ordinators at 046 948 3000, email [email protected], or see www.trimcastlehotel.com.

Wedding parties are assured of comfort and attention

to detail at wonderfully-presented receptions


l YOUR CHANCE FOR FRE E ENTRY TO AN UNM ISSABL E C I T Y WEST E V ENT l

DUBLIN Gazette Bride and Groom is delighted to offer our readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to the 2012 Wedding Journal Show, which takes place next week-end, September 29 and 30 at the Citywest Complex.

The Wedding Journal Show 2012 will feature more than 350 exhibitors and provide brides and grooms alike with a one-stop-wedding shop, together with all the inspira-

tion they need to plan their big day.

From venues and flowers to dresses and cars, the show has it all, and all under one roof.

Dream gownCelebrating all that’s Irish,

there will be an Irish Bridal Designers Area to help you find that dream gown, as well as Wedding Journal’s inter-national catwalk show, with

fully choreographed dance routines, which takes place three times daily.

The exclusive event pro-vides a rare opportunity to see a selection of designer wedding gowns, and many superb styles for bridesmaids, mothers of the bride, and groomswear, some of which have never been seen in Ire-land before.

Another huge attraction will be the opportunity for all

attendees to be entered into a prize draw to win a fabu-lous wedding package, worth €25,000.

The package will include a wedding reception at the Bal-lymagarvey Village; a dream honeymoon to St Nicolas Bay, Crete (a member of the Great Hotels of the World group); a wedding dress from Patrick Casey; room dress-ing from Frog Prince; wed-ding photographs by Laura

Faherty Photography; and wedding rings from McDow-ell’s Jewellers.

Competition questionTo win a pair of tickets,

answer this simple question:Which Ireland AM star will

be the host of the 98FM Style Stage at The Wedding Journal Show?

Send your answers (includ-ing your full name, address, and a contact number) by

email, with the subject line: Bride & Groom, to [email protected] by Tuesday, September 27.

The Wedding Journal Show 2012 will run from 12 noon to 6pm on both days, with the international catwalk show times at 1pm, 3pm and 5pm.

Tickets at the door cost €13, or are priced €10 when pre-booked online, with VIP tickets available for €20 from ww.ticketmaster.ie.

Win tickets to 2012 Wedding Journal Show


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l LOTS TO CONS ID ER FOR YOUR A L L- IMPORTANT PART Y l

FIRSTLY, you have to consider the date. Before you make any selection on venue, it is very important to know the time of year that you want to get married.

The time of year can dictate cost, so do not restrict yourself to one date, but have a few in mind.

You also have to con-sider the actual venue, as these come in all shapes and sizes. There are castles, contemporary hotels, rural wedding

venues, marquee venues – the list goes on ...

I look after a contem-porary, elegant wedding venue that is adaptable for every season.

Topics to considerWhen it comes to ven-

ues, you always have to ask about topics such as what are the minimum numbers, maximum and minimum capac-ity, accessibility, does it have civil ceremony or blessing facilities, guest accommodation, late bar,

bridal suite, car parking, where can you get pho-tographs taken (if not at the venue, where is close by?)

Next, the type of venue that you pick will more than likely dictate the decor.

If you want to add special touches, or if the motto “less is more” is for you, your best bet is to go with a venue with neu-tral decor – the Baskin Suite uses ivory and gold tones.

This allows you to

match your colour theme or keep as is. Fairy light backdrops are also very popular.

For costing, meet with the wedding coordinator, get the full cost, and see if there is room to nego-tiate.

PackageThe Baskin Suite has

recently launched an all-inclusive package that includes everything that you will need on your day – flowers, car, enter-tainment, cake and all

Great advice to



Top tips from CAROLINE MILLER, wedding coordinator at the Baskin Suite in Bewley’s Hotel, Dublin Airport


help pick the perfect venueother venue items.

The great thing about the all-inclusive package is that it saves on time and cost.

Also ask if there are any hidden costs!

Your wedding coordi-nator is very important, as he or she plays a huge role in your wedding experience, as the more experienced, profession-al and approachable the wedding coordinator is, the better you will feel throughout the whole experience.

When it comes to food, make sure to select something that appeals to the majority of your guests.

Also check that the venue can cater for veg-etarians, children and all dietary requirements.

Don’t forget that, for beverages, if you decide to have wine during your meal – try and taste it, first!

Have a think about your choice of toast drink; you can let each guest choose their own

drink, or do a set drink, such as champagne or sparkling wine.

For entertainment, when you are selecting a band or DJ, I always recommend going and viewing them.

Make contact with them, and get a list of their upcoming gigs, before the big day.

Don’t forget to check for restrictions at the venue, such as: Is there a late bar? Are children allowed.

Lastly, consider your deposit and contract, noting that most depos-its are non-refundable. For anything that you have agreed – get it in writing!

Other than that, enjoy every minute of your wedding planning! Caroline Miller: “When it comes to deposits and contracts, for anything that you have agreed – get it in writing!”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

‘The Baskin Suite has recently launched an all-inclusive package that includes everything that you will need on your day’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


l WHY NOT MARRY I N A J EWEL O F THE MED I T ERR ANE AN? l

EVERY wedding day should be glorious but, sadly, the Irish weather isn’t always what you’d hope it will be. Long-haul destinations usually offer guaranteed sunshine, but you have to factor in the jet lag and expense.

However, with Malta just a three-hour flight away from Dublin, you can find a sun-soaked spot rich in history, beauty and culture, that is often called “an open-air museum”.

The breadth of choice is astonishing, but what may intrigue you more is the exceptional value for money that getting mar-ried in Malta can offer.

The island is generally far more reasonable than many other Mediterra-nean islands.

The combination of Malta’s climate, and its

selection of inspiring wedding venues, could offer the idyllic location for the best day of your life.

One such venue is the Fortina Spa Resort, located in the heart of Sliema on the north-east coast of Malta.

The resort overlooks Valletta, the island’s capi-tal, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

LuxuryWhether you want to

relax in the spa facilities at the hotel for a few days before the event, or have the ceremony first and holiday later, the Fortina provides the ideal base for a luxurious wedding and honeymoon.

Imagine exchanging vows on a gloriously sunny day, cooled by the scented breeze drift-

ing off the Mediterra-nean, then whisking your guests off in a yacht to enjoy a reception in the grounds of a castle, fol-lowed by dancing under the stars ...

Alternatively, why not think about getting mar-ried in a country chapel, art gallery or on the beach?

To make sure every-thing goes like clock-work, it helps to have local experts to organise and advise you on your wedding.

The staff at the Fortina Spa Resort are experi-enced wedding organ-isers, and can source photographers, make-up artists, hairdressers, flo-rists and even send your invitations for you – in short, everything you need to ensure the day goes smoothly.

They can also accom-modate you for a beau-tiful ceremony, to your exact specifications, in the grounds of the resort.

The resort is also acclaimed for its interna-tionally-inspired cuisine, so, if you’re tying the knot on the pool deck against breathtaking views of Valletta harbour, you can take advantage of an extensive repertoire that includes French, Thai, Indian or Italian fare, or local flavours.

You can also take the expertise of the For-tina’s award-winning chefs with you, should you decide to hold your reception elsewhere on the island.

For further informa-tion, call 0800 917 3001, or email [email protected].

Marvellous Malta will make your day


With a wealth of options to consider, Malta has a great range of venues and locations to add a dash of classic

style and beauty to your big day. The Fortina Spa Resort, located in the heart of Sliema on the island’s north-

east coast, is perfectly located to help make the most of your venue.

www.gazette group.comwww.gazette group.com

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l BR I DGE HOUSE HOTE L , TU L L AMORE l

THE Bridge House Hotel in Tullamore is getting ready to host its Wed-ding Expo on Sunday, September 30, which will see the four-star venue showing all that it can offer in creating a truly special day for its customers, and welcome brides- and grooms-to-be.

On the day, the hotel will be set up to dem-onstrate all the Bridge House can do for wed-ding parties.

There will be the opportunity to meet the hotel’s wedding team, and a host of wedding suppliers, including vid-eographers, stationery suppliers, bakers, pho-

A wedding expo for the big day of your dreams

Head to the Headfort Arms: You won’t want to miss its special fair

tographers, bands and musicians, florists, hair-dressers, specialist jew-ellers, expert health and lifestyle consultants and, of course, bridal wear and menswear – all on hand to give all the wedding tips you could need.

The Wedding Expo at the Bridge House Hotel

will also include a bridal gown display, auction and a range of incentives for anyone who books their wedding on the day.

Now, the hotel’s dedi-cated wedding website – http://tullamore-wed-dings.bridgehouse.com – lets potential brides and

A lovely feature at The Bridge House Hotel is its “secret

garden” – an oasis of peace for the happy couple

grooms preview exactly what the Bridge House Hotel has to offer, as well as view special offers and learn more about the hotel’s wedding team.

Located less than 90 minutes from Dublin, Galway and Limerick, the Bridge House Hotel has more than 40 years of experience and a longstanding reputation as one of the Midland’s most popular hotels for wedding receptions and civil ceremonies.

For further informa-tion, contact the Bridge House Hotel at 057 932 5600; or see the hotel’s website, www.bridge-house.com, or its dedi-cated wedding website.

THE Headfort Arms Hotel in Kells is rolling out the red carpet to couples in October when they host their Autumn Wedding Show on Sunday, October 7.

Hotel owners, the Duff family, are celebrating 40 years in busi-ness this year, and have looked after generations of weddings with a personal family touch.

Every need in organising your

nuptials will be covered on the day, with suppliers from every domain available to discuss pro-spective clients’ every require-ment for their perfect wedding, from entertainers to hat design-ers, jewellers to honeymoon experts.

For further information, call 046 924 0063, or see www.head-fortarms.ie online.

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DARRAGH O’Conaill, head coach at East Coast Jiu Jitsu Academy, was victorious again last week when he won the Nogi Welsh Open, continuing in his rich vein of form and ECJJA’s fantastic tradition in European competition.

Ireland’s youngest brown belt, O’Conaill is sure to see the competition as the per-fect warm up to the London Open and the European Nogi Championships, which are due to take place in late October –

competitions that himself and team mate John Sheridan have been successful in before.

After taking a haul in the gi (uniform) event of the Europe-an Championships which were held in February in Portugal, O’Conaill previously spoke to GazetteSport and highlighted his wish for his team to get to London and win more medals in the nogi events.

With John Sheridan, Sam McNally and O’Conaill himself all claiming the medals across Europe, morale is high in the gym as they ready themselves

for another adventure, with O’Conaill in as good spirits as ever.

“It was brilliant to get the win in Wales,” said the Dun Laoghaire coach. “It wasn’t the biggest tournament in the world but I just like to con-stantly test myself and keep competition-fit.”

“While I was away, John Sheridan submitted every-one at the Irish Cup, and I’m sure he will do great things in London, having won the Open there before.

“We’ve got the UK Premier

Championships coming up on Friday, September 28 and then the week after that I’ll be head-ing to Poland to compete at the ADCC [Abu Dhabi Combat Club] Pro Trials.

“London will play host to the Nogi Europeans at the end of October and then I’m heading on to the States for the World Championships,” said O’Conaill.

If you are interested in Bra-zilian jiu jitsu, try a free month’s trial at East Coast Jiu Jitsu Academy, e-mail [email protected] for more details.

East Coast’s O’Conaill triumphs


LOCAL clubs Hermes and Monkstown both got their seasons off to impressive starts as they look to claim back the Leinster women’s and men’s hockey leagues respectively.

For the former, a cou-ple of sweet Hermes’ goals book-ended their comfortable 3-0 win over a new-look Pembroke side. The UCD connec-tion was in full flow for the first as recently signed up graduates Fiona Brad-ish and Orlagh O’Shea combined superbly to open up the chance for Caitriona McGilp to fin-

ish off. They thought they had

a second when a possible own goal was first award-ed but then disallowed on consultation between the umpires but Christine Quinlan had Hermes 2-0 up at half-time when she scored from the fourth of a series of penalty cor-ners.

And Sadhbh Hoban-Logan completed the win in the second half with one of her first touches after being introduced. For Pembroke, Maebh Horan offered plenty of evidence to suggest she will be a key addi-tion in midfield with a fine performance in the

centre of the park while Kerry McComish was in top form at the centre of defence for Hermes to nullify much of the hosts attacking threat.

On the men’s side, Monkstown produced a strong statement of intent to see off Irish Senior Cup finalists Railway Union with a pair of goals in each half to head up the first table of the season on goal difference, win-ning 4-0 last Saturday.

Davy Carson made an early impact on debut when he broke in from the right and found Kyle Good who got around Stephen O’Keeffe and managed to finish off

despite shipping a knock en route. Gavin O’Halloran made it 2-0 with a fine individual goal, breaking through a couple of tackles and pulling home three min-utes before the break.

Lee Cole guided home a corner deflection from older brother David’s shot before Ross Watkins popped up with a sharp rebound. Throughout the tie, Railway won a number of corners but could not convert while the last quarter, with the Sandymount side chasing an unlikely comeback, opened up markedly but no further goals accrued.

Elsewhere, Blackrock

club Avoca got a taste of the tough task ahead when they fell 4-1 to Cor-inthian in their first game since getting promoted back to the top tier after seven years in division two.

For Corinthian, their South African imports shone on debut as Sihle Ntuli created the first goal. Rob Pearson was the unlucky man to be credited with the first ever own goal following the introduction of a new law. Matt Fairweather struck twice before Pear-son pulled one back but Alan Blennerhassett scored a penalty to close out the win.

Hermes hockey PembrokeHermes’ Laura Pinder takes on Pembroke defender Ailbhe Coyle on the opening day of the Leinster league division one season

HOCKEY: LOCAL CLUBS BEGIN LEAGUE SEASON IN STYLEFastSport

Stillorgan Chamber toasts top golf eventSTILLORGAN’s Chamber of Commerce’s 11th annual golf outing was held last week at Grange Golf Club at the foothills of the Dublin Moun-tains for the second successive year.Grange captain Plunkett Walsh joined the group for the event, which was sponsored by Ballsbridge Motors Mercedes Benz, that was played in superb conditions for the yellow ball team competition.

Overall winner of the Stillorgan Chamber Per-petual Trophy, presented by Money Doc, was Matt Fagan of Ballsbridge Motors while Ray Roche (Pure Telecom) was second and Eddie Keddy (Gleeson McGrath Baldwin) was third.

The winner of the ladies competition was Ash-leen McGonigle of Gleeson McGrath Baldwin.

Geoff Dunne (Ballsbridge Motors) claimed the longest drive while Kenny Reynolds (O’Brien Wines) was nearest the pin victor.

Winners of the yellow-ball team competi-tion were Kevin O’Hara, Martyn Evans, Niall Cauldwell and Jim Hegarty of the Hegarty financial management group.

The day was topped off with dinner and the entertainment provided by Sil Fox with MC John Lowe (Money Doc)

Independent TD Shane Ross and Cllr Gerry Horkan (FF), who are keen supporters of the chamber, joined the group for the dinner and awards ceremony.

Frank Murphy, president of the chamber, emphasised the increasing importance of “building and developing the local business network and that’s what the event was all about”.

FastSport


CLUB NOTICEBOARD

EVERYTHING is ready now for the Cuala

All-Ireland Lunch this Friday at the

Burlington Hotel. Another full house

is expected with MC Des Cahill tak-

ing time out from selector duty with

the Senior footballers and a couple

of engagements with RTE to ensure

another great day for all those in

attendance.

There are still a limited number of

places available if you want to enter-

tain anybody from Mayo, Donegal or

indeed the wider GAA family but you’d

better act fast. All the details are on

www.cualagaa.ie.

Good luck to Conor Mulally and Mar-

tin Cahalane as they prepare for the

minor All-Ireland football final on Sun-

day. Good luck also to all our friends

from Mayo and Donegal as they get

ready for their big game.

The best possible match to get club

supporters in the mood for those

games will be the senior hurling cham-

pionship quarter-final against Craobh

Ciarán in O’Toole Park at 5.45pm on

Saturday. The lads will be sporting

their new sponsored jerseys from

Home Instead and will be aiming to go

one step closer to bringing the cham-

pionship home for the fourth time and

the first since 1994.

There has been some cracking

championship action in the past week

with the senior footballers edging out

Crokes by one point in the intermedi-

ate quarter-finals last Thursday and

the juniors making it through to the C

championship semi-finals with victory

over Castleknock on Sunday.

The U-15As played a full-blooded

affair with Crokes at Silver Park on

Sunday morning. A disputed scoreline

at the end of 60 minutes was put to the

back of their minds and the sides both

scored 1-2 apiece in extra time to set

up a replay that will have every ounce

of passion that it would were it to be an

All-Ireland final.

The U-15Bs had an easier passage

past Na Fianna and will have the cham-

pionship progress to take their minds

off the league final they qualified for

last weekend that will stretch the sea-

son into early November.

The U-14Bs secured a top four finish

in division five and possible promo-

tion with a hard fought win over Scoil

Ui Chonnail on Saturday while the As

“patchwork” team kept their hopes of

promotion from division two alive with

a gutsy draw at Kickham Park.

Well done to Clodagh Sheehan, Sine-

ad Murphy, Blaithin Lane and Hannah

O’Dea who represented Dublin in the

Cooper All Ireland Under 14 blitz.

CUALA

NAOMH OLAFOUR intermediate footballers ended

their run in the championship on

Saturday last in the Naul against

a strong and skilful St Patrick’s,

Donabate side. Olaf’s battled hard

against a very strong wind in the

first period keeping in touch to trail

by three points, 0-6 to 0-3, at half-

time.

Some poor shooting resulted in

several wides at the beginning of

the second half for Olaf’s and cost

us dearly. Pat’s handled the windy

conditions better and in the end ran

out deserving winners on a score

0-13 to 0-6.

Our senior hurlers take on Kil-

macud Crokes in the senior hurling

B championship quarter-final on

Saturday at 6pm at home. Support

requested for these two crucially

important games.

In Croke Park on Sunday, the Dub-

lin minors play Meath in the All-

Ireland minor football final. Naomh

Olaf player David Byrne will captain

Dublin. Best of luck to David and the

Dublin minors from all in Naomh

Olaf.

The 25-card game will resume in

the bar on Monday, September 24 at

9pm. New players welcome.

Our condolences to senior hurling

manager Enda Kinsella on the death

of his grandmother Kitty Kennedy.

Ar dheis De go raibh a hanam dilis.

FOXROCK CABINTEELYTHIS was another successful weekend

in the club where teams were playing

the final match of the round-robin

stage of the ladies juvenile champion-

ship.

The U-12As, U-13As and U-14As are

through to their division one champi-

onship semi-finals.

The U-12Cs, U-16s and minors are all

through to the division two semi-finals.

These matches will take place over the

coming two weekends and we wish the

girls all the best of luck.

The senior ladies team will hold a quiz

night in the Graduate on Tuesday, Sep-

tember 25.

This is to raise much needed funds for

their Leinster club championship cam-

paign which starts in early October.

Don’t forget the club dinner dance in

on November 16 in the Stillorgan Park

Hotel. Tickets are selling out fast so

book early.

Well done to all the girls who received

their Junior Cert results last Wednes-

day.


A HOST of Kilmacud Crokes and Dublin stars were on hand in Croke Park on Tuesday as the draw for the 2012 FBD Sevens was announced, as well as details for a number of celebratory events around the event itself which runs through-out Saturday, September 22.

This is the 40th year of Ireland’s premier 7sevens tournament which has become a firm favourite in the GAA calendar for both players and support-ers alike.

As part of the anniver-sary celebrations, Kilma-cud announced that a spe-cially designed All-Ireland Celtic Cross medal has been commissioned and that all of the previous winners have been invited back to help celebrate the day and, indeed, the last 40 years.

The tournament will see the best club teams from all over the country travel

to compete and given the weekend that is in it, it is no surprise that teams from Mayo and Donegal are to the fore.

Mayo champions Ball-intubber will be joined by Knockmore and Clare-morris, while Gaoth Dób-hair and Dungloe will be flying the Donegal flag.

Other teams to have signed up this year include previous winners Clan na nGael (Roscom-mon), Corofin (Galway) and Bryansford (Down) and county champions from Sligo (Tourlestrane), Cavan (Cavan Gaels) and Antrim (St Gall’s).

Teams qualify for the prestigious tournament by either winning their county championship or by invitation but, to mark the 40th anniversary, all previous winners were invited back for the 2012 tournament.

Teams will play out the group stages at four ven-ues in the Stillorgan area with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final

being played on Saturday afternoon in Glenalbyn, the home of Kilmacud Crokes.

Speaking at the launch, Ard Stiurthoir Chumann Luthchleas Gael Paraic Duffy said: “Kilmacud Crokes’ long running sevens event has long since been enshrined as an integral part of All-Ire-land weekend and huge crowds flock to the club year in year out to see top level action and to really kick-start All-Ireland weekend.

“It’s a credit to the club that they organise the event to such a high

standard on an annual basis.”

Commenting on the event, John Shovlin, chair-man of Kilmacud Crokes football committee, said: “It is hard to believe that this is the 40th year of the Sevens and we hope that this year will be a unique celebration of all that is great about Sevens foot-ball.

“This competition has without doubt gone from strength to strength over the last 40 years but spe-cial thanks must also go to the GAA and to the media for their continued support,” he concluded.

FOOTBALL: SEVENS BACK IN TOWN FOR MILESTONE

Kilmacud Crokes’ senior footballers at last year’s launch of the All-Ireland Sevens

Kilmacud to host 40th anniversary

ALL OF YOUR DUN LAOGHAIRE SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 30-31 SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

HOCKEY HEROES: Monkstown and

Hermes get season off to flying start P30 Ga

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HARRY Roberts, manager of Cuala senior hurlers, is in confident form ahead of his side’s championship quarter-final showdown with Craobh Ciaran this Saturday.

He believes that a good mix of youth and experience could see the Dalkey outfit going the distance in the run for silver-ware.

Speaking at the announce-ment of Home Instead Senior Care (Leopardstown) as the team’s new sponsors, Roberts said they have all the right elements in place to build on their stunning form in the group stages, eliminating five in-a-row winners Ballyboden St Enda’s.

“We have a smashing bunch of guys based on the U-21 team that won the championship in 2009 with a few older lads who have soldiered through the years without ever having their time on the big stage,” he said.

“It’s especially pleasing to see them having one last bash at it but also nice to see the excitement and enthusiasm of the young lads.

“We also got together a

sound back-up team who are working to blend the two.”

One thing that has Roberts especially excited for this year’s championship, is the fact that he will field a full strength squad, with no key players missing due to injury.

“This is the first time that we have been injury free in recent years and also the first time that Paul and Mark Schutte, David Treacy, Conor and Oisin Gough, Simon Timlin, have all played on the same team in senior championship.

“We don’t want to be the team that put Boden out of the championship just for some-one else to win it.

“We are basing the whole effort on honesty. Yes, we think we are as good as anyone left in the competition,” said Rob-erts.

“We set out to change the image we had as a ‘nice team’ and I think we have achieved that. We can and will mix it with the best.

“We wanted to have a style of play that suits the players we have and that’s worked out also, our aim this year was to avoid relegation and finish safe in the league.”

Cuala’s Harry Roberts, Paul Schutte, Karl Schutte (Home Instead), Bobby Browne (senior hurling captain), Oisin Gough and David Treacy

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Cuala SHC Cuala SHC ambitionsambitions

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